The San Francisco 49ers Made A Big Statement Against North Carolina's Anti-LGBT Law

CEO Jed York denounces the state's anti-LGBT law.

Although the NBA has made clear to North Carolina that it will move the 2017 All-Star game out of Charlotte if the state's anti-LGBT House Bill 2 (HB2) isn't changed, the NFL's response hasn't been as strong. The league went ahead with its May 23-25 meetings in North Carolina despite pressure to move them, saying all the right things with respect to the law and its position on LGBT discrimination. That wasn't enough for many fans and some teams seem to feel the same way.

San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York made that clear at the meetings by announcing a $75,000 donation to Equality North Carolina, an organization dedicated to securing equal rights for LGBT citizens.

"The San Francisco 49ers are deeply concerned about North Carolina's recently-enacted House Bill 2, which overturned protections for LGBT people and sanctioned discrimination across the state. HB2 does not reflect the values of our organization, of our country, or the majority of North Carolinians," York said in a joint statement with Equality North Carolina.

With comedians, musicians, and all kinds of public figures voicing their opposition to HB2, it's good to see an organization like the 49ers doing the same. A comment such as "discrimination is wrong, and we believe it has no place in North Carolina or anywhere in our country" from York goes a long way, even if it's not totally aligned with the official position of the league with which his team is affiliated.